Peggle 2 Beginner's Tips

Follow this advice and you'll be a Peggle Master in no time.

The recently released Peggle 2 from PopCap Games is one of those titles that anyone can get into. It helps to know your way around ball bounces and skill shots, but it's a game that people of all ages can pick up and play – and become a master at in just a few turns.

With that, we put together some beginner's tips to help get you started.

Fine-Tuning Your Shot

When it comes to aiming your cannon and shooting 10 balls at the pegs on the board, you don't necessarily have to use the analog stick exclusively for aiming. By holding down the shoulder buttons and tapping the stick, you can fine-tune your shot, slowly adjusting it so the ball goes where you want.

In the case of Bjorn's power-up – a guide shot that shows where your ball will bounce over the course of several turns – fine-tuning shows just how delicate shots can be. Practice with this and get better with your shots – you'll thank us later when you're trying to clear trickier boards.

The Bucket is Your Friend

See that bucket on the bottom of the screen? It's not there for décor. If you land a ball inside it after clearing so many pegs, you'll earn an additional ball to use on the board. Sometimes you can't control the flow of which way the ball will go, but others show a pretty clear route.

In these situations, watch the movement of the bucket. Once it swivels around to where your shot will end up, go ahead and fire the ball. If you need to, you can hit the X button to speed the bucket up a bit. Landing the ball in there can make all the difference in clearing the board of orange pegs in fewer turns, thus earning a better point bonus at the end of the round.

Hit the Pink Pegs

Orange pegs should be your top priority in Peggle 2 – although the power-up rewarding green pegs are just as good to hit – but you shouldn't forget about the pink pegs. These serve as score multipliers, and increase your turn's score by double upon hitting them.

When you go after these, try to line up your shots so they come off a rebound. Achieving a long shot will net you 25,000 points, and hitting a pink peg after coming off of that will double it. Hit a few of these shots and you'll rack up a great score in no time.

It can be difficult, as the pink pegs shift after every turn, never staying in the same place twice. There's no penalty for taking time with your shots, though. Line them up carefully and see what kind of trick shots you can make. It'll certainly pay off in the long run once those points start adding up.

Use Power-Ups Wisely

When you first get started on a board, you may feel like pursuing the green power-up pegs right away. Keep in mind that you'll only get to use them so many times.

For instance, with Jeff's boulders, you only have one shot to clear away certain pegs on the board. Wasting your shots is a bad move, especially later on if you find orange pegs just outside of reach with your remaining balls. Try to save power-ups for later in the round, after you've cleared some of the debris and need to clean house with your remaining shots. It could make all the difference when it comes to getting those last orange pegs.

Go for the Trials

In Peggle 2, a number of trials will pop up. At first, they aren't that challenging, and teach you the basics about the power-ups you'll use over the course of the game. Later on, they definitely pick up in difficulty, but it's gradual, and certainly not maddening.

Go ahead and give these Trials a shot when they pop up. They'll teach you a thing or two, and you can always go back and try again if something doesn't work.

For example, one Trial introduces you to Bjorn's guide shots, where you can see how to rebound a ball off one orange peg to an adjacent one. Another has you playing a mini-game of bowling using Jeff's boulders, picking up additional balls and trick shots along the way. These are helpful when it comes to learning how to shoot the ball just right.

We'll cover what each Peggle master brings to the table – and how to master them – later this week.